Mishka Jenkins's Blog, page 12
August 12, 2014
Romance Weekly Blog Hop #lovewritechat
It’s Romance Weekly blog hop day! Feels like I haven’t done one of these in ages, so it’s nice to get back to it :D
If you’ve come from Dani Jace, author of White Doe, then welcome!
Now onto the questions:
1.Does humour help or hinder you in your creative process?
It helps, a lot! I do like to write some dramatic moments in my book, so I tend to always have moments of humour or fun to help lighten the mood.
2.What is a favourite go-to book or movie you use to unblock a problem in your writing?
What a good question!
I usually try to watch movies and read books in the genre I’m writing, to get into the right head space, especially seeing as I write in different sub-genres.
But one movie (actually three movies) that always gets me writing is The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I love those movies, and there is something so inspiring about them that always gets me wanting to write and create an amazing story of my own!
I’m incredibly visual, so I think movies often inspire me to write a lot more then reading does in a strange way :D
3. What’s the most inspiring book you’ve read this week or month that’s generated a new idea?
I just finished reading The Unravelling of Lady Fury by Shehanne Moore, and I was completely inspired by her character Captain Flint. He’s a brilliant character that I just fell for instantly, and it inspired me into thinking about the way I write my male leading characters.
Some great questions this week, it was nice to get back into the blog hopping groove!
Now why not check out what Gemma Brocato has to say in answer to the questions?
How would you answer this week’s questions? Leave your answers in the comments! It’s always fun to share.
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Progress Report:
Status of fifth manuscript: Writing first draft.
Daily word count: 4321 (Total word count: 13184)
Books read: 3/4
Mid-August Book Review: Written and ready.
August 11, 2014
Now let’s try it that way…
I realised something recently about my planning process.
For each book I have written so far, I have planned them each with a different technique.
I haven’t done this on purpose :D It is just something that has happened naturally as I started to plan.
It was an interesting observation about my planning style that I didn’t really notice until today. Possibly it’s because I write different sub-genres and it works better in my head for certain genres to be planned out certain ways.
- Stolen Bloodline: I didn’t have much of a plan at all, I wrote scenes that I liked and then worked them all together.
- The Queen’s Jester: I made an incredibly detailed bullet point plan that had every single scene and moment detailed on it.
- Heart of the Arena: I did something similar to The Queen‘s Jester, but the bullet point style was loose, only detailing big scenes and not specific moments.
- Prophecy of Stones: I planned out like a map. The characters go on a quest-style journey, so I plotted out the map and the route they would take, then I noted down what happened at each location on the map.
- For my next book (number 5!): I have taken the approach of noting down scenes on notelets and spreading them out on the floor.
Obviously there are a lot more notelets than this! But you get the idea.
The notelets have been brilliant as I have been able to see the gaps where I need to fill in scenes or link scenes together, but I’m not sure it would have suited the way I approached writing my other books. These different ways of planning have certainly showed me how much variety and individuality there is in the writing process, and it makes me wonder how I will plan out book number 6 :D
So my tip for the day is: If you ever feel stuck or get a bit of writer’s block, it might be worth trying out a different method of plotting a scene, short story, book, poem, etc. You never know if looking at it in a different way might just jog something new :)
Have you tried out different planning methods? Do you use one method that works for you all the time? Do you have any planning tips or tricks for others?
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Progress Report:
Status of fifth manuscript: Writing first draft.
Word count: 5100 (Total word count: 8863).
Books read: 3/4
Mid-August book review: Written and ready.
August 9, 2014
The Ancient’s Prophecy
Prophecy of Stones
The bond of love can conquer all, but only if it is accepted.
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Prophecy states that three champions imbued with the best virtues of the mortal race: heart, strength and soul, will be the ones to save them all from an enemy which threatens to steal the life from their world and those who live upon it.
These three, along with their scribe, his bond mate, and an overly sarcastic oracle, must set off on a journey which will take them through forest, city, swamp and mountain. On this quest they activate the magical stones which charge the only weapon powerful enough to defeat Tildar and his cult of Dwell.
Yet the closer they draw to journey’s end, the more it seems that it is not the evil which will be their downfall, but the fear of a champion unwilling to accept the bond of their destiny.
Prophecy of Stones is a tale of adventure, love and magic.
To Buy:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Barnes and Noble
August 8, 2014
Cover Reveal for Elaine Jeremiah’s, Reunion of the Heart!
So today I bring you Elaine Jeremiah’s cover reveal for Reunion of the Heart!
Blurb:
After a messy breakup with her boyfriend, Anna is feeling fragile. So when her best friend Melissa suggests the two of them go to their school reunion, she’s reluctant as Anna’s school days weren’t her happiest. The evening is going well until she meets the boy who made her school life hell.
But the grown up Will is different and Anna is surprised by the direction her life takes. The reunion sets in motion a series of events that lead Anna to realise things will never be the same again.
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Elaine Jeremiah has always enjoyed writing, but it’s only in recent years that she’s begun to devote serious time to it. She’s written lots of short stories, one previous novel that will never see the light of day and a novel which has seen the light of day: ‘The Inheritance’ which she published last year.
‘The Inheritance’ is available on Amazon.
You can make contact with Elaine via her blog: elainejeremiah.co.uk and Twitter: @ElaineJeremiah
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It’s pretty awesome, right? :D Reunion of the Heart is getting close to release! Why not follow her blog to keep updated?
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Progress Report:
Status of fifth manuscript: Writing first draft. (Finally!)
Word count: 3763
Books read: 2/4
Mid-August book review: Written and ready.
*I have some marketing posts going up on the weekend, but won’t be around until Monday as usual to reply to comments and emails- Have a great weekend everyone! :D*
August 7, 2014
Finding Inspiration
Good advice and a great post! :)
Originally posted on Spellbound Scribes:
As writers, we are expected to be a fount of imagination and stories. But even the most prolific writer can come to the well of inspiration and find it dry every now and then.
When you’re a full-time writer, like me, you seem to always be writing, to always be creating, coming up with new ideas and always moving forward. I have friends who are not “big readers” but who follow me on Facebook and see me posting about the projects I’m working on (yes, plural, there’s always more than one). And when I see them in real life they always have a comment like, “I don’t know how you write so much!” The funny thing is, it doesn’t always feel like I’m writing very much.
I take breaks between projects – and sometimes that’s the hardest thing for me to do. I finished a book during Camp NaNo in…
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August 6, 2014
Books and Reading Wednesday
So, it’s my first book/reading related Wednesday post :D
Photo by the very talented Twisted Pixel on Flicker
When I read, I normally only read one book at a time. This is mainly because I like to immerse myself in one world and one set of characters at a time, and concentrate solely on that.
But, recently I attempted to read two at a time.
Attempted.
It didn’t go very well :D
I tried to read a few chapters of each on alternating days, but I found it confusing having to get myself back into which book I was reading every other day. I was hoping that reading two at a time might help me get through my to-read list quicker, as I have so many I am excited to read!
In the end, I gave up and ended up focusing on one and will now continue on with the other as I have finished Sins of the Father by Melissa Barker-Simpson (who has recently released her new book, Hands of Evil).
Sierra over at Permashift had a great idea of reading different books on different devices such as one in paperback, one on kindle and one on nook. I might be tempted to give that a go at some point in the future, but for now, I’m afraid it’s going to be one at a time :D
Though I have to admit, it is nice to focus solely on one book. I enjoy getting lost completely in that one story and not having to switch to different characters or worlds in different books. It seems to keep me excited about the books I read!
Do you read more than one book at a time? Or do you prefer to read one book? What are you currently reading?
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Progress Report:
Status of fifth manuscript: Still waiting to start first draft.
Books read: 1/4
Mid-August book review: Written and ready.
August 5, 2014
Why not check out some new blogs?
Still struggling today to get everything together, along with my computer now having some technical difficulties as well! As such, I won’t be able to comment or email much again today :(
Whilst I’m in limbo, I thought I would direct you to some other awesome blogs. Why not check them out and see if you find a great new blog?
Books & Writing at Middlemay Farm
Topaz Winters
Welcome to my Worlds
Some brilliant bloggers, and there were so many more I wish I could have added! (But I was thinking the list was rather long already :D )
Also, don’t forget to check out Prophecy of Stones, my newest release!
To Buy:
August 4, 2014
Well, what a weekend!
Well, this weekend has been rather… interesting :D
A lot happened and went wrong, which means today I’m still up in the air as we’re trying to fix and sort everything out at home.
Unfortunately, this means I haven’t even been able to write one word towards my next book! And I’m not sure when I’m going to be able to start.
To be honest, I’m getting antsy to begin, as I love starting new stories and have so much excitement for it that I can barely keep it contained. But, life does like to throw a spanner into the works at times and put a halt on my carefully laid out schedule!
Catching up with my writing shouldn’t be too much trouble, I will just have to cut down on something else to allow me to up the amount of hours I can write, when I get a chance to actually begin writing!
It just goes to show that no matter how much you plan a nice, scheduled writing routine, life doesn’t always let that happen! You just have to write when you can, and not let these hiccups weigh down on you :)
Seeing as things are a bit all over the place, I won’t be around much today or possibly tomorrow either, but I will try to keep up as best I can. Hopefully I will be back on track with commenting, emails and reviews at the end of the week.
I’m really sorry to anyone waiting for replies or reviews, I will get to them straight away as soon as I can!
Have you ever had to stop from your writing routine? Does life like to get in the way of your writing time? How do you cope when your schedule gets so thrown off course?
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Progress Report:
Status of fifth manuscript: Waiting to start writing first draft.
Word Count: 0 :(
Books read: 0/4
Mid-August book review: Written and ready.
August 1, 2014
July 2014 Round-Up and August 2014 Plan
It’s August! Yeah, I don’t how that happened. Seems every month this year has crept up on me faster than it should have.
This month was a rather hectic one, but fun!
July
– Kept completely to schedule.
– Posted every scheduled day, except one I missed due to internet not working.
– I received more great reviews for my books :D
> Heart of the Arena: 1x 5*, 4x 4*
> Stolen Bloodline: 4x 5*, 1x 4*
> The Queen’s Jester: 3x 4*
– Connected regularly with bloggers.
– Used twitter and facebook more effectively to help support other authors.
– Read 3 books (1 below target!)- The Commons, Book 1: The Journeyman by Michael Alan Peck, The Soul by S.R.Carrillo, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
– Updated my blog.
– Set up a mailing list and newsletter- Click here to sign up!
– Released Prophecy of Stones!
One goal I didn’t reach was that I didn’t look into different forms of marketing quite enough. This is something I am going to have to do, no matter how much I dislike marketing :D If I want to earn enough to live on from my writing, then it is something I am going to have to think about more and start implementing.
So, now onto August!
Plan:
1st- 31st- Write first draft of next book.
13th- Book review, either traditional or indie.
29th- Indie eBook review
Goals:
– Read 4 books!
– Find new ways of marketing and implement them.
– Continue actively supporting others and look into different ways of achieving this.
– Write more short pieces for prompts.
A lot of other things happened in July:
Melissa Barker-Simpson released her new book, Hands of Evil! You should definitely check it out. I am currently reading her book, Sins of the Father, and am thoroughly enjoying it (review to come!).
Ness Kingsley has returned to us :D She’s a great blogger, and definitely worth checking out her posts. Very excited to hear more from her in the future.
Lost to the Aether (my best friend and one of my amazing readers!) has started posting his comic, which is great fun read!
Kimberley M Ringer achieved an amazing thing by completing the Wharf to Wharf race! So a major round of applause to her!
Shehanne Moore has been posting some brilliant and hilarious posts, worth checking out just for the hamsters :D
The Legends of Windemere trailer was released!
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Wow, what a wrap up of this month :D
I also want to say a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who re-blogged, tweeted and shared my release day post. I am so grateful for your amazing and continued support!
This weekend I will be posting some scheduled marketing posts, but I won’t be around until Monday as usual :)
July 31, 2014
Prophecy of Stones- Release Day!
It’s here! Prophecy of Stones is now available!
Blurb:
The bond of love can conquer all, but only if it is accepted.
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Prophecy states that three champions imbued with the best virtues of the mortal race: heart, strength and soul, will be the ones to save them all from an enemy which threatens to steal the life from their world and those who live upon it.
These three, along with their scribe, his bond mate, and an overly sarcastic oracle, must set off on a journey which will take them through forest, city, swamp and mountain. On this quest they activate the magical stones which charge the only weapon powerful enough to defeat Tildar and his cult of Dwell.
Yet the closer they draw to journey’s end, the more it seems that it is not the evil which will be their downfall, but the fear of a champion unwilling to accept the bond of their destiny.
Prophecy of Stones is a tale of adventure, love and magic.
Trailer:
Excerpt:
“Eight years is a long time to hide away from the world.” There was a momentary flicker of hurt which creased his brow before it softened again, and she knew he’d meant that it was a long time for her to hide from him.
She ran her fingers through her hair and twisted away, a wave of shame passing over her that she didn’t want him to see. “I did what I had to, for Leena.”
“Only for Leena?” he prodded.
Milana gritted her teeth. “What else was I supposed to do after what happened? Leave her alone and flounce off to join the war?” She flung her arms into the air, her raised voice echoing through the trees and quietening the wildlife that had been scuttling in the undergrowth. Riff was unmoved by her anger, as he always was. At times Milana wished to shake the feeling out of him and force him to react with more than a gentle frown or small smile. “You didn’t have to rejoin the fight.” Her voice was weak now, her rage battered into submission by the silent concern that shone through his soft gaze.
“Yes I did,” he replied. “It is our fight.”
“You could have come with me.”
“You could have asked.”
There was a long pause where years of pent up emotion hung in the air like the gazes of an accusing jury. Milana thought she would crumble beneath the weight of what remained unspoken.
Links:
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